The more you listen to Luke Petitgout, the more you realize he has a firm handle on what he could be thrust into on Friday, when the NFL’s free-agency signing period begins and he instantly becomes one of the top left tackles to hit the open market.

“If I get that far, I think it will be like being a high school senior all over again,” Petitgout told The Post. “It’s definitely exciting. But a lot can get done in a week’s time.”

Petitgout wouldn’t mind at all if he and the Giants come to terms on a new contract before he ever gets to test the waters and he indicated the two sides are not extremely far apart. He has evolved as anticipated since the Giants made him their first-round pick in 1999, first playing guard, then right tackle and last year starting every game at left tackle, protecting Kerry Collins’ blind side. He’s not a star but he’s more than solid and at 26 could develop further.

The Giants have no one to replace him and know they’ll have to spend to keep him. Redskins right tackle Jon Jansen came into the league with Petitgout and late last season signed a six-year, $25 million contract that included a bonus of $8 million. Left tackles almost always make more than right tackles.

“He got paid very nice money for a right tackle,” Petitgout said. “If I were on the right side, I’d look to get what he got. If you want to consider it a floor, it’s a pretty nice floor. It’s tile, not linoleum.”

As their top priority in free agency, the Giants know they need Petitgout back, as offensive linemen Jason Whittle and Mike Rosenthal are also set to become free agents. Whittle is expected back; Rosenthal will probably leave unless his demands go down and he fails to generate much action from other teams.

Petitgout is likely to return.

“Anytime you’re with a team for four years you make a connection,” he said. “They brought me into the league, they’re almost like a family. And I don’t think you can get much better from a football standpoint. The Giants are certainly on the rise and will be a force. To leave the Giants and go to another team that is not very good does not make much sense to me.”

If he goes free, Petitgout believes he’ll attract plenty of attention, with the Bucs, Dolphins, Browns, Vikings and Texans all covertly sending signals.

“I think the good years are ahead for me,” he said. “I see the next four, five years as the best football I’ll ever play, hopefully longer. The Giants and I are getting closer. We want the same result.”